Why is demand important?

Federated must plan for future growth and design its distribution system to supply the maximum requirement of electricity by all members, whether that requirement is for 15 minutes or for months. Likewise, Federated's energy provider must have adequate generation capacity to meet members’ requirements. Electric demand determines the investment that’s necessary to deliver electricity to any customer when needed. This investment is recovered by allocating demand costs to each member.

The difference between demand and consumption

Demand is how much electricity a member requires at a single moment in time. It is measured in kilowatts (kW). Consumption is how much electricity a member uses over a period of time. This is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Example 1: The important distinction is that demand is an average measure of the rate of electric use, and consumption is a measure of overall electric use.

Assume 10 lights, each using a 100-watt bulb, are turned on. This usage would draw or demand 1,000 watts or 1kW of electricity. If the member leaves the lights on for two hours, that would consume two kWhs of electricity.

Now assume five 100-watt lights are used for six hours. Since only half of the lights are being turn on, the demand is cut in half to 0.5 kW. However, since the five lights ran longer, three kWh or more electricity is consumed.

Example 2: The car’s speedometer would be like the demand meter and the odometer would be like a consumption meter. Compare two cars traveling the same 100-mile road, one car is traveling 10 miles per hour for 10 hours and the other is traveling 100 miles per hour for one hour. It would take a much more expensive engine to power the car at 100 miles an hour than it does to power the car at 10 miles an hour.

How to reduce demand charges

Two strategies for reducing demand exist. The first option is to change what equipment is on. The second option is to change when the equipment is on.

Reducing the number of devices operating simultaneously will help by reducing the cumulative effect of how many devices need electricity. Upgrading to high-efficiency equipment will also assist in demand reduction.

Tips for managing your electricity costs

1. Do not turn on all motors at once. Stagger the start times, which can reduce your peak demand. 
2.  Do not rewind old motors. Replace them with new energy-efficient motors that will lower demand and run more efficiently. 
3. Plan when you will run grain bin motors. If you run these motors in the same month, you save demand versus running on the last day of the current month and the first of the next month — paying demand both months.
4. Reduce the need for electricity during peak periods (often 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.)
5. When possible, perform energy intensive activities when your home/business/farm demand is low. Delay water heating, laundry and dishwashing to non-peak hours. 

Take advantage of Federated’s money-saving programs

1. Federated offers energy-efficiency rebates on retrofit LED lighting, variable speed drives, fractional horsepower motors, ventilation fans and more. Visit our www.federatedrea.coop/rebates.
2. Through our power supplier Great River Energy, take advantage of farm energy audit grants covering 75 percent of the audit cost.
3. Take the results from your energy audit to apply for USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). www.federatedrea.coop/REAP
4. If you own a hog barn, do you have a permanent standby generator with automatic transfer switch that covers the whole site? If so, you could consider changing to the interruptible rate with a generator.